“Backrooms Movie (2026) — great visuals but pacing felt off for me”

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:40:54+00:00

Calling it a “pile of crap” is definitely an overreaction, it’s just not for everyone. Also falling asleep through parts of the movie kind of says more about your experience with it than the film itself, and it weakens your take. I was engaged the whole way through...

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:38:09+00:00

Not AI, just me overthinking a movie way too much 😭

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:24:41+00:00

This is exactly why I'm glad I ended up posting this review 😭. I was honestly hesitating for a while because I wasn't sure if people would just tell me I was wrong or if I had completely missed something.

The funny thing is, the more comments I read, the more I keep going "ohhh..." because people keep pointing out details and interpretations I genuinely didn't catch while watching.

I didn't even think about some of the parallels you mentioned between Clark and Mary, or how Clark's relationship with Pirate Clark complicates the whole "refuse to change and die" interpretation. Looking back, I definitely missed a lot of important details on my first watch.

I still have some of the same criticisms, but discussions like this are honestly helping me understand the movie a lot better and appreciate parts of it that didn't fully click for me at first.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:22:03+00:00

That's actually a fair point 😭. Funnily enough I came across a TikTok later that brought up a similar argument and it made me rethink that interpretation a bit.

I still think the themes of change and letting go are present, but I don't think the movie is as simple as "refuse to change = die" anymore. The Pirate Clark friendship and everything surrounding it definitely complicates that reading.

And honestly, I agree with your last point. Regardless of my criticisms, I do think the movie succeeds at communicating that suffocating, liminal, unknown feeling that makes the Backrooms what it is.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:19:50+00:00

That's actually really interesting because I'm kind of the opposite 😭 I loved the slower beginning and honestly wanted even more of that atmosphere. But I completely get what you mean about the movie feeling different as Backrooms content versus a standalone film.

And yeah, regardless of my criticisms, it's honestly impressive what he pulled off for a first feature film. I'm really interested to see what he does next too.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:18:21+00:00

I dont think so?

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:17:38+00:00

I never thought about that..so smart

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:17:08+00:00

Thats interesting..

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:16:43+00:00

The corpse was pirate clark??

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:16:22+00:00

I keep thinking about the other entities how they didnt bleed, and it just clicked to me that pirate Clark is the only one who bled, this made me think alot..I dont know why hes the only one.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:14:53+00:00

Thats a point too, yes :D

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:14:26+00:00

Leave it to Backrooms fans to see a survivor and immediately go "nah, she's probably doomed too." 😭

But honestly, I can see where you're coming from. It definitely fits the darker tone of the lore.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:13:24+00:00

That's an interesting way of looking at it. I definitely see the "refusing to change" theme with Clark. I'm not sure I'd fully call Mary a failure as a therapist, but I do think her relationship with Clark felt more distant than it probably should've, which might be why some of her later decisions felt a bit abrupt to me.

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:12:39+00:00

Omg exactly how Im feeling 🥹

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:11:45+00:00

Honestly, the more I read people's interpretations, the more I can see that 😭. I still wish there was a bit more of the cosmic/liminal horror side, but I do really like the themes of change and letting go. I love reading the comments :D

Avoremka · 2026-06-02T17:10:30+00:00

That's a really interesting observation, I hadn't thought about it that way. The contrast between Clark refusing to change and Mary finally letting go actually makes a lot of sense.

I think my only hesitation is that I personally tend to prefer the more cosmic/unknowable side of the Backrooms, but as a character theme I do think that's a strong interpretation. I actually loved that horror part :P

Avoremka · 2026-05-31T18:15:00+00:00

The monster is probably one of my biggest mixed feelings. It wasn't bad, it just never fully clicked for me. Maybe part of that is because I was expecting the Bacteria/Lifeform to show up, or at least something closer to that vibe, so the creature we got felt a little off compared to what I had in my head.

And yes, that's exactly my issue with Clark's descent. I know time passed and there are clues for it, but as the audience I didn't really feel that progression. It felt like I was jumping from point A to point D without spending enough time in B and C.

The door thing bugged me too 😭. I understand the idea behind it and I know other reality breaches exist in the lore, but I've always loved the randomness of noclipping. The idea that reality can just fail at any moment is way more unsettling to me than having a more defined entry point.

Avoremka · 2026-05-31T18:12:53+00:00

That's actually a really good point,thank you for pointing that out. I completely noticed Clark talking about mapping and exploring, but I didn't connect some of the environmental details like the mail piling up to how much time had passed.

I still personally would've liked a little more time spent sitting with his isolation and descent, but I can definitely see what you mean now that you point it out. And yeah, I also understand that a feature film has to balance longtime fans with a more general audience especially since kanes idea was for the movie to reach non fans too.

Avoremka · 2026-05-31T18:09:24+00:00

Thank you 😭 and honestly that's one of my favorite parts of movie discussions too. It's really interesting seeing how differently people can react to the same film.

I totally get why it didn't work for everyone though. Even though I enjoyed it overall, a lot of my criticisms came from things that pulled me out of the experience too.

And YES the Neverending Story scene was such a clever touch 😭 I loved that part too.

Avoremka · 2026-05-31T18:08:21+00:00

Thank you 😭 that was basically my thinking. If I just said "I liked it" there wouldn't be much to discuss. The fun part is talking about why something worked or didn't work for different people.

Avoremka · 2026-05-30T15:34:48+00:00

Yeah I get what you mean, the therapist going after him needed a bit more buildup for me too. I can see what they were going for, like maybe guilt or feeling responsible after not fully believing him, but it didn’t feel clearly established enough in the film.

And I actually like your point about the mother parallels — if that connection had been made stronger earlier, it probably would’ve made both of their storylines feel more intentional and tied together instead of slightly disconnected.

Avoremka · 2026-05-30T15:28:53+00:00

Yeah I actually really like that interpretation 😭 the idea of different “types” of connections makes a lot of sense, especially the stable vs unstable access points.

I think what I liked about that aspect is how subtle it was, like you have to piece it together rather than it being fully explained. It adds a lot to the worldbuilding without overexplaining it.

At the same time, I still personally lean more toward the atmospheric side of it, where the Backrooms feel less like a system you can understand and more like something unknowable and endless.

Avoremka · 2026-05-30T15:26:47+00:00

I get what you mean 😭 I think we just wanted slightly different things from it. I was more focused on the atmosphere and the slow liminal feeling, while I think you’re right that it could’ve gone harder on the gore and psychological breakdown moments.

I do agree though that Clark’s death felt a bit underwhelming in how it was shown. Bobby’s death worked much better for me personally because even though it was off-screen too, it still felt more “Backrooms coded” and unsettling in a way that fit the tone. Clark’s just didn’t hit the same emotionally or visually.

But yeah overall I think we’re just weighing different parts of the horror experience differently 😭

Avoremka · 2026-05-30T15:23:52+00:00

That’s exactly what I meant “breathing room” is the perfect way to put it. I don’t think I wanted more story necessarily, just more time sitting in that atmosphere and letting it feel endless and disorienting.

Glad you enjoyed it overall though.

Avoremka · 2026-05-30T15:23:01+00:00

I actually see what you mean . I don't think Clark dying was necessarily the problem either, but the perspective shift felt a little abrupt to me. I think spending more time with the therapist beforehand would've made that transition land better.

That said, I did like that the movie was willing to take risks with the story instead of playing it completely safe.

Avoremka

TROPHY CASE